New therapy for PMS

A commonly used antidepressant may help women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. A new study shows citalopram, marketed as Celexa, may help women who have exhausted all other medications without help.

Doctors from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia, set out to determine whether half-cycle dosing PMS patients would work. Half-cycling means the medication is started 14 days prior to the start of menstruation. Previous research shows half-cycling is effective when treating premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe form of PMS.

A total of 15 women were included in this study. They were chosen after two months of an antidepressant gave them no relief. In this study, 11 of the women received half-dosing and 6 women received full-dosing. All of the women reported an overall decrease in their symptoms, while the half-cycle group achieved the greatest decrease in symptoms.

Authors of the study conclude, "These results from a small number of subjects with open-label treatment must be viewed as preliminary but suggest that citalopram treatment is effective for PMS patients who failed previous...treatment."

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